teetor



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. L. TEETOR,

GRAIN SGOURER.

No. 310,476. PatentedJan. 6, 1885.

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UNITED l STATES PATENT OEEicE.

ABE. L. TEETOR, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

GRAIN-SCOURER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0; 310,476, dated January 6. 1885. Application filed March 2li, 1884. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABE. Il. TEETOR, of Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Scourers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to au improvement in machines for cleaning and scouring grain, the object being to provide a device of this character which shall be adapted to first scour and polish the grain, then brush it, and finally to separate it from all damaged or defective grain and all foreign matter. A further object is to provide a cleaner which shall be simple and economical in construction, and at the same time durable and efficient in use, and with these ends in view my invention consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In fthe accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of my improved device. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section. Fig. 3 is a view in horizontal section on the line m .fr of Fig. 2. Fig. I is a view in elevation of the feed-regulating device, and Fig. 5 is a front and top view of the separator.

Al represents the frame, constructed in any desired manner and of any suitable size. In the upper and lower cross-pieces of this frame is journaled the vertical shaft 1, to which is secured, near its lower end, the band-wheel 2, through which power is transmitted to the said shaft. To the end posts of the frame is secured a shelf or plate, F, provided with a central opening, and between which plate F and the cross-piece 3 of the frame is secured the outer scouring-case, A, preferably formed of perforated sheet metal, within which is' placed the inner corrugated scouring-cylinder, B, somewhat smaller in diameter, and also perforated, as shown in the drawings. Below the plate F is located a brush, C, the upper part of the wooden portion of which is secured to the casing K, which latter is fastened to and operated by the shaft 1, the said wooden portion of the brush being provided with percured thereto by means of the metal casin g G, y

is the plate I, in which the lower end of the cylinder revolves, thus forming a chamber or opening,V, between the plates H and I, from which air is supplied through opening Gr4 to the brush C by passing up through between the flange yn and casing K and out through the perforations or slots in the wooden portion of the brush. The chamber V is in direct communication with the opening Gf. and the chamber V is in direct communication with the interior of the brush. Thus it will be seen that when the fan is startedit draws the air from the chamber V up into and through the brush and down into the fan-easing, from which it is discharged.

The casing E is made adjustable around the brush by providing it with screw-threaded lugs w on either side of a slit running itswhole length, and inserting :in said lugs bolts w, by means of which the edges of the casing may be drawn together or forced apart, as desired, the lugs on one side being formed at a suit able distance from the edge in order to allow the edges to lap over, said edges being so lapped in the direction in which the brush travels that when the brush is in motion it will not injure the grain by forcing it against the edge of the casing, but will carry it oii ofit.

Below the chamber V is formed the fanchamber V', in which is located the fan V2,secured to the shaft l, the top J of said chamber being provided with an opening, L, for the admission of the air, and also with an opening-in the side to allow the air to escape.

Between the plates J and F is located the metal casing G, extending halfway round the machine, as shown in Fig. 3 ofthe drawings, and secured at its ends to the uprights t,whieh latter are sufficiently wide at their lower ends to be attached to the casing G as high as the IOO plate H, from which point said uprights narrow or incline for the purpose of allowing a free passage for the air through the brush-casing down to the fan.

Fig. 4 shows my improved device for regulating the feed of the grain from the scouring chamber b to the brush. The dotted lines c represent small openings formed in the plate F at equal distances from each other.

T is a movable plate placed over the plate F, and also provided with openings c o and c2 c?, and with a laterally-extending arm, c3, the path through which the latter moves being indicated by a dotted line. The openin'gs c' in the plate T are formed twice as long as the openings c or ci, so that when the arm ci is moved to the point c5 the openings c registe-r with the openings c on opposite sides.

-If the plate T is moved still farther to the point c, it will gradually open or expose the remaining` openings c c by registering the openings c2 c2 therewith, and when the arm reaches the point c it will plainly'be seen that all the openings c will be open. By this arrangement I am enabled to evenly distribute the grain to the brush, and to aid in this even distribution I form the upper head of the brush with a depression, d, immediately under the openings c in the plate F, through which the grain falls, and then into said depression. Vhen the brush is in motion, the centrifugal force will carry the grain over the sides of the head, and it will then drop down between said brush and the casing E. After the grain leaves the brush it falls onto the plate H and fills the space between the brush-easing and the iiange on the plate H. In this chamber or space the grain is carried around to a spout, e, by a projection, j, on the lower portion of the brush, said pi pecleading from an opening in the plate H 'to the entering chamber of the separator I). This chamber is provided with the vcr tical partitions@ and the inclined shelves g h i', one placed below the other, said partitions s extending but part way up the cha1nber, and forming tubes f, g, and h, which lead up into the chamber S, the side t of the entering chamber S, extending somewhat above the partitions s, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. Below the shelves g and h are formed air-inlets p and q, and also at 7c, the air taking the direction as indicated by the arrows. XVhcn the grain leaves the tube or spout e, it will fall into the tube f and down onto the inclined shelf g', which will in turn conduct it to the tube g, where it will fall onto the shelf 7L', from which it falls into the tube h, onto the shelf i", and then through the spout r out of the machine. It will now be seen that the grain before leaving the machine is perfectly scoured, polished, and cleaned. Vhen first fed into the machine, the grain, by its downward travel, is thoroughly scoured by the casings A B, being also cleared of any dust by a strong current of air drawn by the fan through the casing A, the grain, easing B, and down into and out of t-he fanchamber, as indicated by the arrows. The grain is then distributed to the brush, which thoroughly cleans and polishes it, and, if still mixed with any dirt or foreign substances, is cleared thereof by a current of air drawn by the fan from theI chamber V and opening G4 up through the brush, out of the casing, and down into and out of the fanehamber, as also indicated by arrows. rhe grain is then carried to the separator, from which it issues, as before described. If upon entering the separator the grain is mixed with broken or injured grain, or smaller and inferior grain, or if mixed with dust or foreign substances, this inferior quality of grain is caught up by the air-currents as the grain falls from the shelves g 7i', and carried u p the tubes f, g, and h into the chamber S, the speed of said inferior grain decreasing as it rises. However, if the good or perfect grain is carried up by a momentary increase of speed, or any other canse, such grain will accumulate and remain in suspension until enough has accumulated to decrease the action of the air-current or charge it with such weight that it will allow the good grain to drop back again into the volume of like grain passing ont of the machine. The lighter or inferior grain, after passinginto the chamber S, is carried over the side t of the chamber into the adjacent chamber O, and down into the vacuum-chamber I?, in which all damaged particles of grain, the., lodge and pass out at valve r, which is held closed by the suction lof air passing up the chamber or tube Q, partially separated from the chamber O by the partition O, until the weight of said lodged grain is sufficient to force the valve back and allow it to escape. The current of air passes up through the chamber Q, over the top of the side B, and down the chamber N, attached to said chamber Q, and through the fan-eas ing to the fan. A valve, u, is placed in the chamber Q, adapted to be operated from outside, and thereby regulate the suction or current of air in said chamber Q to the quality of grain being cleaned.

As many slight changes might be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown and described, but consider myself at liberty to make such changes as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, with a revolving shaft, a perforated easing secured to said shaft, and a brush secured to the shaft below the casing7 of perforated stationary casings surrounding said movable casing and brush, and a fan se* cured' to said shaft below the brush.

2. The combination, with a shaft journaled in a suitable frame, a perforated casing secured to the shaft, and a cylindrical brush located below the perforated casing and revolv- IOO IIO

ing with the shaft, of a stationary perforated casing surrounding the movable casing, and a stationary perforated casing surrounding the brush.

3. The combination, with arevolving` shaft, a perforated casing1 secured thereto, a stationary perforated casing surrounding the movable casing, a cylindrical brush rotated by the shaft, and a perforated casing,` inclosing the brush, of a plate located between the upper and lower stationary casings and provided with discharge-openings and feed-regulating devices, substantially as described, for regulating the feed of grain to the brush.

4. The combination, with a shaft journaled in a isuitable frame, of a brush secured to the shaft, a casing, the top of said brush being formed concave, a scouring-chamber leading` to said brush, and the plates F and T,sitnated between the scouring-chamber and brush, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination, with a shaft and a scouring-chamber consisting, essentially, of a movable and stationary casing, of a brush having air spaces or openings therein and located below the scouring-chamber, a perforated casing surrounding the brush, and an air-chamber communicating with the inside of the brush, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with a revolving shaft and a scouringchamber consisting, essentially, of a movable and stationary perforatedY casings, of a brush revolving With the shaft and having openings therein for the passage of air, a perforated casing surrounding the brush, an airchamber located below the brush and communicating` with the interior thereof. and a fan for exhausting the air from said chamber, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with a shaft journaled in a frame, of the brush C, secured to the shaft, plates F H I, casings E G, cylinders A B, a fan, and a fan-chamber, all of the aboveparts combined and adapted to Operate substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

S. The combination, with the shaft, the perforated movable casing and brush secured t0 said shaft, and the stationary perforated casings surrounding,` said movable casing and brush, of the separator in open relation with the chamber in which the brush is located, and the fan, all of the above parts being constructed and arranged substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ABE L. TEETOR.

Vitiiesses:

JOHN S. MACY, T. R. THORNBURGH. 

